Aristocratic Discipline
by Settees-under-siege
Summary: One shot for 4.3. After initially finding himself in the dog house, Robert's fortunes improve thanks to a gallantry performance at dinner which he then attempts to use to his advantage.
1. Being Schooled

She had watched him out the corner of her eye right through dinner. The way he was _happily_ engaged in conversation with Dame Nellie Melba and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She hadn't been sure if her message had gotten through to him in the drawing room earlier despite the fact that she had even cut him off and walked out but the since the two of them had quickly found a subject they enjoyed after turning, the conversation had flowed as freely as the claret. Cora had not cared much for her new dinner companion. Ever since he had arrived, Samson had been beating all the other gentlemen at poker which had concerned her somewhat and she had been relieved that Robert had not gotten too involved in it all. There was just something about this so-called gentleman that irked her. He was well presented in his manners and small talk as well as his card success but in her opinion, he was a bit _too_ well oiled. So she had kept up a façade of politeness expected of her as the hostess while discreetly trying to catch her husband's eye across the table. It had taken longer than she had thought, such was his interest in the opinion of his dining companion about the dessert menu, but once she had got his attention, she had boldly made eyes at him, giving him her approval for his efforts. He had coloured slightly having been caught off guard by his wife who had less than an hour before, been angry enough to march out on him. Cora grinned to herself as she ambled through the saloon, pleased that after all their years together, she could still catch him out like that. After her initial move, he had begun to make a study of her at every opportunity whilst still entertaining Dame Nellie, a feat most notable in Cora's book. Naturally this had also meant that she had to conceal her change of feelings from the table at large. As she made her final inspection of the seating arrangement for the concert, she felt two strong arms wrap around her from behind. Squeaking her surprise, she tilted her head to find herself nose to nose with her husband.

"Next time you want to treat me like a naughty school boy you might do it in private? Not in front of an entire room of guests." His lips had found their way to her ear and his voice was husky. Cora blushed, recognizing her own words from a night nearly a decade ago. That night had started off bumpy as well with Robert becoming openly agitated at dinner before apologizing to his disgruntled wife in bed later that evening which had eventually ended with some passionate love-making.

His arms around her loosened and Cora suddenly realized that his hands had begun to roam over her body while he trailed kisses down the side of her neck to her shoulder. Her memories of that night quickly faded as this fresh bout of sensations instead began to affect her. Vaguely aware that they were standing in the middle of the saloon with their guests all assembled in the drawing room, due to come through at any moment, she sought out his hands. One was poised to cup her bottom while the other had begun a leisurely trail up her inner thigh. Catching them both and stilling them, she breathed, "As much as I am enjoying this I regret to point out we are in a very exposed location darling." She felt his lips leave her skin as he lifted his head up. Humming his agreement he swept her up in his arms and carried her off.

Cora had thought he would take her upstairs at that point but instead he made his way past the great oak staircase, ignoring her protests, towards the door behind it. The back entrance to the downstairs sitting room. Naturally at this time of night it was shrouded in darkness but that was why Robert had chosen it. He had become more and more hot under the collar as he had mentally undressed his wife in the dining room and he no longer had the patience to get her upstairs to bed, such was his arousal for her. Not wasting any time he carefully lowered her to the ground and shut the door behind them before checking to make sure the opposite one that lead to the smoking room was also securely shut. Once he had satisfied himself in this, he turned to find his wife stood beside the sofa, bathed in moonlight which was filtering in through the window and he caught himself. Then she spoke.

"I really don't think we have got time for this Robert. The concert-" In a split second he was right in front of her again, crushing his lips to hers, kissing her breathless.

"The concert will wait," he growled throatily. Fusing their mouths again he determinedly pushed his tongue through the small parting of her luscious lips and engaged her in an intricate dance until they were both quite out of breath.

"Robert! What has…" Cora was now feeling a bit overwhelmed. "What has gotten into you?" she managed. Running his hands down her arms and around to her bottom he urged her forward until her body was pressed against his.

"You gave me your invigorating lecture before dinner. Now it's my turn." Cora gaped at him.

"That's what this is about?"

"You're talking too much Cora," Robert said firmly. Placing his hands on her hips he began to pull on one side and push on the other. "Turn around," he instructed and she did as he bid of her, her heart racing.

Cora was now directly facing an arm of the sofa and then it happened. His arousal pressed firmly into her backside, making his intentions clear. Robert stooped down briefly and grasped the hem of her sky blue dress, pulling it up purposefully with one hand while the other followed in its wake, trailing lightly over the inside of her thighs and sending shivers up her spine. When he reached the juncture of her legs, he immediately sought out the tie to her draws and gave the bow a yank. Cora felt her undergarment pool at her ankles as one of her hands now grasped onto her dress which was bunched around her waist. She felt so very exposed like this as the cool air of the room licked at her lower half but at the same time, she found the situation thrilling. Her husband was taking charge of her in a way he wouldn't normally and it made her own desire grow. Muffled sounds emitted behind her as Robert freed himself of the constraints of his trousers and then his own under things and she could hear how labored his breathing was.

"Bend over the arm of the sofa," he muttered. Again, she did as she was asked and placed her hands onto the sofa, leaning forward. She felt one of his hands slip between her thighs again and apply some pressure so she parted them to grant him better access and he was quick to take advantage, running his fingers over her blossoming flower. Satisfied that she was moist enough, he then aligned his sex with her own and pushed into her, causing her to gasp with pleasure.

He set a fast tempo inside of her, his hips moving like pistons. Ever since the war he felt like he had been fighting to retain the respect he had once held. His decisions were being challenged on a daily basis be they concerning the running of the estate, what was best for the family or in tonight's case, the correct place for a world renowned opera star. And his wife had certainly never had a problem in withholding her opinions if she disagreed with him, which seemed to be a more and more frequent occurrence. There was no question that he loved his wife, now more than ever, but there was also no denying how much her blatant disregard for his point of view had left him feeling exactly like a naughty school boy that night which was something he knew he could never become accustomed to. He was a man in a position of authority who had always known control and now, as he thrust into his wife, he sought to reassert himself over her.

One hand held onto her hip as he continued to drive himself into her whilst his free hand found its way around to her chest where he cupped a breast through the fabric of her dress, molding it roughly. He vaguely heard her moans that his actions were eliciting as he ran his fingers up to her throat and then back down again. His movements inside her became frenzied as she began to pulsate around him and it drove him wild.

The heat that was generated from their movements became too much for Cora and she strongly contracted around him, groaning through her release. Robert followed moments later, spilling into her and slumping onto her back. Summoning what little strength he had left, he forced himself upright and helped her to straighten up as well. Slowly she pivoted around to face him, a smile painting her features. Her dress had fallen around her legs again but her draws remained on the floor. Flashing him a saucy smile she crouched down and drew her draws up her legs, bringing the hem of the dress up again with it so he could enjoy them in all their glory. Robert was speechless. For all his efforts, he had thought he had gained the upper hand yet here she was already teasing him, mocking him. He watched raptly as she carefully retied the cord in a bow, as if rewrapping a gift and letting the soft, cerulean fabric fall around her one final time.

"Is something wrong?" she asked casually. Robert snapped into action and hoisted his own garments up back into place and buttoning up.

"Not at all," he assured her as he cleared his throat. Cora raised an eyebrow and daintily stepped away from him towards the door, careful to accentuate the swing of her hips. Reaching the door she peered back at her husband who hadn't moved an inch.

"I'm going to rejoin our guests. Don't be too long." Sweeping her gaze appreciatively over him she clasped the handle and disappeared into a sea of light.

Her words rang in his head, her voice oozing her American roots. _Don't be too long._ He stood motionless as his mind whirled over the way she had left him, had eyed him so purposefully and it struck him. He had been schooled. For a second time that night, she had got the best of him despite his attempt to gain the advantage and now he was beginning to realize with startling clarity that his wife had known what she was doing all along. The way she had made out to be so cross with him, then rewarding him with some flirting at dinner, then her leaving their guests under the premise of ensuring all was set for the concert when she knew he would follow her. There was no doubt about it. His wife was a very devious woman.

As Robert Crawley made his way through the other door into the vacant smoking room, bound for the secret door that lead into the library, the corners of his mouth twitched. Two could play at that game.

* * *

_A/N Thanks to thankgodforcora for imploring me to write this smut! Robert and Cora have taken over the show as usual and there will be a second instalment added soon. I hope you enjoyed part one. _


	2. Turning the Tables

_She turned to him the moment she heard the door open, her fingers fiddling with the front of her silky cream robes. "Did you enjoy your evening?" _

_"Yes I did rather," her husband replied jovially as he shut the door. Cora's grin widened._

_"You weren't too shocked, having to talk to a professional singer?" she teased._

_"You always make me out to be so narrow-minded but I liked her," he conceded. _

_"Because she appreciated your wine," she countered._

_"There are worse reasons," Robert noted as he bent down to remove his slippers, Braithewaite passing by out the corner of his eye._

_"And have you formed an opinion of Mr Gregson?" she asked as she curled up on the chaise longue. _

_"Yes, as a matter of fact. I'm not sure he's what we want for Edith but it's a changing world, and I must admit, he's a decent cove," he nodded in her direction, rising from his chair._

_"Heavens! A damascene conversion!" Cora declared, feigning shock. "What's brought this about? Was it something he said?" she inquired curiously._

_"It wasn't that so much. But he did behave in a way that I thought was really quite gentlemanly," Robert explained as he deposited his dressing gown on the chair and walked over to the bed. _

Ever since Robert had deciphered his wife's little school game, he had been mulling over how to turn the tables on her. After being distracted from his thought's by Tom in the library he had found enough time sitting down waiting for the concert to begin, to figure out a plan and had spent the rest of the evening thus far acting on it. Because that's exactly what he was doing – acting. By concealing his desire to have her again at the end of the night he sought to throw her off guard. And it appeared to be working because despite her teasing since he entered the room, he had not risen to the bait and had somehow managed to keep his face free of a smirk. Now, as he hopped into bed, he made himself comfortable against the pillows and glanced up to see that she hadn't moved and was in fact watching him with a veiled expression. But he wasn't going to fall for it, not this time. He could almost see the cogs turning inside her head, calculating how best to push his buttons again so before she could pull the rug out from beneath him, he took the lead.

"Aren't you going to join me?" he said pointedly.

"Of course darling," she responded, flipping her legs over the side of the chaise longue. Standing up and stretching, Robert studied her as she padded over to her side of the bed like a cat and he noticed that she still had a certain glint in her eyes. Determined to hold his ground, he reached over to his bedside table and retrieved the novel he was currently reading. Locating the page he was up to, he opened it and began to read, pretending to be indifferent.

He felt rather than saw her slide beneath the covers as he pushed himself into reading his book but just within his vision he could see her head tilted in his direction. Cora said nothing as she followed suit and settled with her own book and for a few minutes, there was nothing but the sound of silence to be heard in the Mercia bedroom.

Cora tried to stay focused on the task she had set herself but she just couldn't concentrate. After their steamy rendezvous in the downstairs sitting room earlier she had assumed that they would pick up where they had left off later and she had been looking forward to having some more terrific fun. But her husband was now apparently completely disinterested and seemed to be rather absorbed in his reading. Sighing inwardly, she gave up and shut her book, intent upon trying to rouse him. Plonking her book down beside her lamp, she shuffled over to him and angled herself so she could rest her chin on his right shoulder. Feeling the contact, Robert tore his eyes from the page to find his wife peering up at him with a coy smile plastered to her lips.

"What's got you so captivated that you have to work so hard to look at me instead?" she asked innocently.

"It's a mystery. I'm currently reading about how the main protagonist has pinned a woman he suspects to be undermining his attempts to uncover the truth to a wall and is interrogating her. It's getting quite exciting too!" he informed her, returning his attention to the page.

"So you won't consider an alternative form of excitement then?" Cora probed.

"Such as?"

"Oh I don't know, I'm sure we could think of something?" she murmured suggestively, her hand finding its way onto his chest to play with his top button. Robert merely grunted and stilled her hand with his own, not giving into her ploy. If he was to gain the advantage this time, he had to be sure that she would not be expecting anything from him first. And she seemed to have decided just that. Pulling away from him she flicked off her light and wriggled down, getting comfortable.

"I'll leave you to it then. Goodnight," she muttered in disappointment.

"Come now Cora, you sound as though the world has ended," he sighed dramatically, looking down at where she had come to rest on her side, facing away from him.

"Don't be silly."

"You're sulking," he stated simply.

"No I'm not, I've just decided to go to sleep," she argued. Quietly shutting his book he slid it onto the table surface and maneuvered himself up behind her, kissing her neck.

"Don't sleep, not yet," he whispered against her skin.

"Do you think you can just change your mind whenever it suits you?" she sighed audibly and despite her annoyance at the concept, she lifted her head up, giving him greater access.

"Who says I changed my mind about anything?" he smirked as one arm encircled her waist and pulled her down onto her back. "I don't recall making a final decision about anything." He lifted his head and winked at her before bending over again to suck the delicate dip of her collarbone as he moved to cover her with his body. She threaded her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, stroking lightly as he continued his attentions. "For all you know I might have just been getting a few ideas to try out first. After all you do that to me often enough with your reading material." For the first time since he had joined her, he let out a snicker and looked up at her. Cora's mouth was open slightly and she wore a look of utter disbelief.

"You don't believe me?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I-" she began but Robert cut her off. In one sweeping motion he had sat up, his legs straddling hers as he forced the bed covers back with him. Grasping the hem of her night dress with both hands, he pushed it up her body firmly, lifting her up to rid her of it.

"Now be a good girl and cooperate with my own interrogation. Arms up," he instructed. Cora stared at him as she raised her arms for him to finish pulling her night dress off, her mind whirling at what he was planning to do. He still sat over her, enjoying a perfect view of her exposed bosom for a few moments and she coloured under his intense gaze. Her breathing became heavier as he made no effort at any further movement and her eyes darkened, tracing patterns over his features, mentally undressing him. Unable to take anymore torture from her disadvantaged position, she propped herself up on one elbow, limited in her actions by his being on top of her legs and reaching for the buttons of his navy pajama top but he stopped her.

"Oh no you don't," he chided. He grabbed her wrist and forced her down onto her back again, hovering over her with his hands on hers beside her head. "I asked you to be a good girl but you've misbehaved. I'm going to have to punish you now," he said, his voice heavy with lust.

"Then punish me," she whispered, trying to lift her body up to press against his hovering one but again, he stayed just out of her reach. "Robert please!" she begged.

"I'm sorry, what was that word?" he questioned, his lips tantalizingly close to hers.

"Please, punish me. I-I can't," she panted. Robert smirked down at her. He knew that sometimes by holding back, he could have a more powerful effect on her and it was working wonderfully. Ignoring the tightening of his lower anatomy he bent down.

"You can't what?" he hissed into her ear.

"Wait! I can't wait!" Cora squeezed his hands that still pinned hers to the mattress and once again, she attempted to arch her back. Letting go of her hands and dodging her endeavor to seek contact, he sat up straight again and grasped the cord of the bow on her drawers.

"Well if you are that desperate…" he teased. Cora watched as he slowly pulled the cord, freeing the bow. He then slipped his fingers under the silky cream material and began to pull the garment from her hips and down her legs, shuffling backwards himself. He had completely undone her. Finally he reached her ankles and in a flash, he had whipped off the drawers and tossed them over his shoulder onto the floor. His hands then caught her ankles and slowly, he began to trail the tips of his fingers back up her legs and along the inside of her thighs, his touch feather light. Robert felt her shiver beneath him and the saw her beginning to squirm as he worked his body up between her legs. He knew she was ready for him.

"Robert, Robert!" she moaned. "This isn't punishment now, its torture!" Before he knew what had happened, she had sat up and unbuttoned his night shirt at top speed, pushing it off his shoulders and discarding it over the side of the bed. Sensing her urgency he quickly aided her in removing his pants and kicked them off as well, relishing the relief it brought which he had mostly buried in the back of his mind until now. Then he stilled for a moment, studying her once more but this time, for a different reason. Cora paused as well, unsure why he had stopped and glanced up at him, finding a warm smile in greeting.

"I do love you so darling. And every time I divest you of your clothes and see you in all your glory, you become ever more beautiful to me." Cupping her face he kissed her passionately, finally giving in to his own desire to make love to her in every way he knew how. Deepening the kiss, Robert pressed against his wife's body, urging her down onto her back and settling on top of her. Cora drew her arms from his neck and slipped them up around his back instead, her nails grazing his skin as she silently communicated her consent to her husband, her legs wrapping securely around his torso.

Needing no further encouragement, he gently eased into her, reveling in the feel of her softness, wetness and heat. Pulling back, he spurred forwards again, setting a leisurely pace inside of her. Cora immediately began to lift her hips, moving with him. Trills of pleasure burst out from her throat and she dug her heels into his buttocks as he continued to rock against her.

Capturing his mouth in a heated kiss she brought one of her hands around to his chest to tease a nipple which hardened considerably. Groaning against her lips, Robert reached back and hooked his hand under her left knee, applying a little pressure, giving himself deeper access to her as he began to plunge into her more fervently. Unable to kiss any longer, Cora found herself riding a wave where all coherent thoughts were left far behind. The furnace inside her rose up and she clenched around him hard as he sent her over the edge a first time.

Resisting the impulse to follow her on the current of bliss, Robert redoubled his efforts, desiring to bring her to climax a second time dominating his thoughts. Using his arms on either side of her as stabilizing points, he began to move his entire upper body over hers purposefully with each thrust, using the sweat that had formed from their exertions so far as a lubricant. This created the most wonderful sensations for Cora and she quickly tightened around him a second time, letting out a guttural cry. But Robert wasn't quite finished.

Taking great pleasure from her reactions to his attentions he now slipped a hand down to their joining to fondle her. Cora began to gasp and sigh, wreathing beneath him as all her blood seemingly rushed to her centre. Robert knew now that he would not last much longer himself. He had spent the entire evening working hard to focus on her rapture and put his own needs to the side. Once again, she began to tremble beneath him, her centre contracting around his arousal. It massaged him so enticingly and he found he no longer had the will to hold on so as she arched her back, her breasts pressing against his chest and letting out a very loud _"Robert!"_, he thrust into her strongly and froze above her, pouring out his own release.

Collapsing on top of her, his heart racing, he looked down at her, marveling at her exquisite beauty in her post-coital state. She smiled up at him languidly, her face delightfully flushed and her own pulse humming the same tune as his. She had linked her ankles together so she could keep her legs around his middle with minimal effort and had begun to run one hand through his wavy, silver-tinged locks.

"Mmmm that _was_ wonderful darling. You definitely know how to make an interrogation session exciting," she grinned approvingly.

"I'm pleased to hear it," he said, reciprocating her grin and rubbing a thumb lazily over her cheek. Motioning to her to unwrap her legs, he rolled off of her and stretched down, retrieving the bed covers that had been pushed back to the far end of the bed earlier. Then he settled himself down on his back and gestured for her to join him.

Cora nestled up close to him, resting her head in her usual way on his shoulder and her hand on his heart, giving a sigh of contentment. It had been a big day of hosting a lot of guests and an even bigger night of heated couplings and soaring melodies to accompany their feelings for each other. As they murmured their goodnight's and exchanged one last lingering kiss, something clicked in the back of Robert's brain. He had set out to turn the tables on his plotting wife after feeling decidedly outplayed the first time around and both of them had come out as winners of this little school game. _As it should be,_ he thought to himself, pressing his lips to her temple. He smiled and allowed sleep to claim him.

* * *

_A/N Many thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this one shot (which is a one shot no more). I've broken my own rule in writing this. When I first started these story extensions to accompany the episodes last season I told myself that I would not include smut, even if I wanted to. But with the way this season is going I just couldn't help myself. I suppose that makes _me _the naughty school girl now ;)_


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